Today, the commercial city of Onitsha will be the center of attention as Onitsha Main Market vendors and Governor Chukwuma Soludo clash over the ongoing Monday sit-at-home.
The standoff follows the governor’s determination to end the weekly shutdown, which has crippled economic activities in Anambra since it was introduced by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, in protest against the detention of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Last week was tense in the state after Governor Soludo ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week, directing that it must reopen today. The move sparked protests by IPoB sympathisers, who responded by declaring a sit-at-home across markets in the South-East.
Feelers from security sources indicated that government and security agencies are determined to ensure that markets open and that traders conduct business without harassment.
A joint security meeting was held at the weekend to finalise deployment of personnel and logistics for today’s operation in Onitsha and other major markets.
On their part, leaders of various markets, following a meeting with Governor Soludo, on Thursday, have been reaching out to suspected separatist agitators, urging restraint and calm.
A prominent trader, Kezie Nwadiugwu, appealed to traders to open their shops today, to avoid giving the government grounds to proceed with drastic actions.
His appeal followed Soludo’s announcement that the state would immediately commence the remodelling of the Onitsha Main Market. Traders fear that reconstruction could lead to the loss of shops for extended periods or permanently.
“Let us not play into the governor’s hands by staying away today. If we open and do business, he may shelve the demolition,” Nwadiugwu said.
Addressing stakeholders at the Government House in Awka, Governor Soludo said the market had declined severely due to the sit-at-home and decades of poor urban planning.
“The market, in its current state, is no longer functional. We’ve done the study. Main Market has literally died,” he said, recalling its orderly layout in the late 1970s, when trucks and shoppers moved freely.
According to him, the market has been shut for over 260 Mondays, costing the state billions of naira weekly and driving customers to neighbouring states. He described the closure as a corrective measure, insisting that leadership sometimes requires “inconvenient steps” to secure the future.
Soludo revealed that global experts were commissioned in 2023 to design a rebuilding plan for the 25-hectare market, aligned with his vision of planned, sustainable markets and cities.
“At this point, leadership beckons on us to take those inconvenient steps to secure the future,” he said.
Reacting, the Chairman of Onitsha Main Market, Chijioke Okpalaugo, issued a formal response assuring the governor that traders would comply with the directive to reopen today.
He said traders had agreed with the government’s redevelopment plan, selecting ‘Option 2’, but appealed for a short grace period to evacuate goods from illegal structures before enforcement and demolition begin.
